7 Quick Takes Friday: 7 Happiest Movies Ever Made

So to make up for yesterday’s really, really depressing post, today I’m going to fill your life with laughter and happiness.

Well, I’m not actually going to do that, but I’m going to give you a list of movies that you can watch that will fill your life with laughter and happiness!

The rules for this list are pretty simple. These movies are all funny-yes, you will laugh. Out loud. I hope. But they also all have sweet stories that make you just sigh and believe in the goodness of humanity again after you watch them. Except for one. Also, I’m intentionally not including crowd favorites that we all know are wonderful and hilarious (The Princess Bride, Love Actually). These are movies that you probably haven’t seen, or at least you haven’t seen all of them. I hope.

#7

Prime

For starters, this movie is flipping hilarious. It’s about Ravi, a biological-clock-is-ticking type professional who falls in love with a very young painter…who just happens to be the son of her therapist. It’s also got a great message about the sacrificial nature of true love. And Meryl Streep’s character is a Jewish mother who keeps red wine in the refrigerator, which I think is hysterical.

#6

My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Don’t worry about the Uma Thurman overload. She’s awesome. And so is this movie! It’s goofy, funny, and sweet, plus it showcases not only the awesome Uma but also Luke Wilson, a shark, and Eddie Izzard. Eddie Izzard! He’s so great.

#5

The Women

This is an interesting one. It is funny, and you will laugh, but you’ll laugh more if you know the back story. Clare Boothe Luce wrote this play in the 30′s as a scathing critique of a superficial society that she despised, yet due to her husband’s wealth and social standing was unable to escape from. This re-make was intended to do away with the “scathing critique” aspect and instead show the healing power of friendship among women. The result comes off as…an unintentional scathing critique of modern women and their superficial society. It seems that sometimes the truth is inescapable.

#4

Julie and Julia

Even if you’re not into the culinary arts, you’ll like this movie. It’s very, very funny and an honest portrayal of two women struggling to make something more of their lives. It will also make you drool. I can’t watch it without chocolate nearby, so just know. You’re been warned.

#3

Two Week’s Notice

Let’s say that somehow, unlike me, you’ve gone through life untouched by an overwhelming love for Hugh Grant. Let’s say that you’re even one of those people who-gasp!-can’t stand Hugh Grant. You should still watch this movie. It’s Hugh Grant as we all know he really is…arrogant, superficial, selfish, and still unfailingly charming and sweet. He plays very well off Sandra Bullock, who is in one of her best physical comedy roles here. The only drawback to the movie, really, is Alcia Witt,

who, it seems, cannot be in any movie without removing the majority of her clothes and engaging in totally inappropriate strip chess with someone else’s man. Adulteress! (Sidenote: adulteress is a great word and should never have fallen out of the common vocabulary.)

#2

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Yay! Just the cover of this movie makes me want to put on heavy skirts and frolic about with ballet-dancing backwoodsmen!

Seriously, it’s a great film. And it’s so funny. Most of the humor was completely lost on me at a young age, but I re-watched this recently with my four-year-old and found myself cracking up at nearly every scene. The “Sobbing Women” song? So great! The only bad thing about this movie is that it makes me sad to see what our culture has done to men (and women). Can you imagine the reaction today if a good-hearted but misguided backwoodsmen carried off a girl, saw the error of his ways, treated her respectfully with every intention of returning her in spring and then she fell in love with him? Now, the girl would be chucked into psychotherapy to treat her “Stockholm Syndrome” and the man would be eaten by rabid feminists. Sad.

#1

The Ref

Best. Movie. Ever.

It really is. This is my favorite movie of all time, ever, bar none. Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are more fantastic than words can describe. Dennis Leary is perfect, and the whole movie is a wonderful affirmation of marriage. You’ll love it more if you’ve had a few rocky times in your own marriage (who hasn’t?) but I also recommend it to all my engaged or soon-to-be-engaged friends because…one day, they will fight. Bitterly. Sadly it won’t be as funny as this movie, but it’s important for them to remember that those times will pass. A word of caution: do not watch this movie around your children. The language is really bad. But also, please don’t let that frighten you away from the movie. It’s worth it, I promise!